WPY 2013

The flight path

This female barred owl had a territory near Connor’s home in Burnaby, British Columbia. He watched her flight paths for some time. Setting up his camera near one of her favourite perches, linked to a remote and three off-camera flashes, diffused and on low settings, he put a dead mouse above the camera and waited for the swoop. ‘She grabbed the mouse and began calling to her mate. One of the most exciting calls in the wild.’

Silent flight

Snowy owls have overwintered farther south than usual recently, including in a salt marsh near Connor’s home. For a week, he got up at dawn, experimenting with settings to create an impression of the owls’ ghostly flight as they searched for food. ‘I was disappointed that I didn’t capture the owl head on,’ he says, ‘until it occurred to me that this shot of it disappearing into the gloom might capture a far more atmospheric impression.’

Hot-spring magic

Hot springs bubble up through the limestone, once an ancient inland sea, building a series of shallow, white travertine terraces in the Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Cyanobacteria living in the geothermal water tint the travertine brown, red-orange and green. It was cold on the morning that Connor visited and thick steam swirled around the dead trees. Using a long exposure, Connor caught the scene’s mystical atmosphere.

Lucky pounce

‘Anticipating the pounce – that was the hardest part,’ says Connor. He had found this fox in Yellowstone National Park on his last day in the park. It was so absorbed in hunting that Connor had time to settle behind a rock. It quartered the grassland, back and forth, and then stared intently at a patch of ground, giving Connor just enough warning. When it sprung up, Connor got his shot. When it landed, the fox got his mouse

Evening peace

On the nest, great northern divers can be nervous, so Connor waded into the lake closer every day, increasing this female’s trust. On one visit she even laid a second egg. ‘I spent a few days waiting for the right light and earning more trust.’ Connor wanted to capture the intimacy of the nest in the lake setting, so used a wide-angle, with his camera (camouflaged) on remote. ‘It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the best I’ve ever had.’

Camouflage

Three black dots – one beak, two eyes – were what Connor was looking for: a ptarmigan in full winter plumage. At 3,000 metres in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, he and his friend, kitted out in mountain gear and snowshoes, finally spotted them. Connor composed his shot, anticipating that the bird would carry on walking into the frame. By placing it at the edge of the frame, the ptarmigan became a hidden bonus in a beautiful snow scene.

Photograph Details

Winner 2013

Eric Hosking Portfolio Award

Connor Stefanison, Canada

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